Hawkins Texas History:
The Hawkins area was settled near the Sabine River crossing to Belzora well before the arrival of the Texas and Pacific Railway. The Hawkins post office was established in 1873 after the railroad’s arrival. The town was named Hawkins after a Mr. Hawkins who carved his initials on one of the area trees. By 1884, Hawkins was a shipping center for area lumber and agricultural interests, and had five general stores, five gristmills and cotton gins, three churches, two hotels, a school and 400 residents. By 1914, Hawkins had a newspaper, a college, telephone connections, over 17 businesses, a bank, and two timber companies and over 150 residents. A 1916 fire completely destroyed the business district. The town became a boom town after oil was discovered in the area in 1940 by former lightweight boxer Bobbie Manziel, and two independent oil operators discovered oil within the Hawkins city limits. The Humble Oil Company (later Exxon) became a major driller in the area. Hawkins incorporated in the late 1940s. Hawkins is located on the Sabine River at the intersection of U.S. 80 (Front Street) and FM 14 (Beaulah Street), just northeast of the Little Sandy NWR and Old Sabine Bottom WMA, 64 miles southeast of Terrell, 49 miles southeast of Wills Point, 31 miles southeast of Grand Saline, 31 miles southeast of Alba, 37 miles southeast of Lake Fork, 27 miles southeast of Quitman, 17.5 miles southeast of Mineola, 60 miles south of Mount Vernon, 57 miles south of Lake Bob Sandlin, 43 miles south of Winnsboro, 51 miles southwest of Mount Pleasant, 48 miles southwest of Lake O’ the Pines, 20 miles southwest of Gilmer, 51 miles northwest of Marshall, 28 miles northwest of Longview, 16 miles northwest of Gladewater, 57 miles northwest of Martin Creek Lake State Park, 47 miles northwest of Tatum, 30 miles north of Whitehouse and Tyler Lake, 31.5 miles northeast of Chandler and Lake Palestine, 21 miles northeast of Tyler, and 15.5 miles northeast of Tyler State Park and Lindale, Texas.

Veterans Memorial Park and Veterans War Memorial:
The memorial wall contains the names of approximately 1,100 area men and women who served in the military. A nearby pond displays a Cobra helicopter hovering over its water. The park is located just north of downtown on the east side of FM 14.